Get to Know Your Boulder Police Department

Steve Redfearn, police chief

Greetings Boulder, and happy almost summer! 

As usual, we have had a lot going on and have so much more coming up as we prepare for the eventful summer season. 

I am happy to report that we just finished the 2026 Bolder Boulder race, and we had very few issues. Aside from the usual missing kids that we reunited with parents and some medical calls, the race was a huge success. There are many people to thank, as we couldn’t do this ourselves. Overall, I’d like to give a huge thank you to everyone who worked on their holiday to ensure that the race was safe. 

Police officers, rangers and other public safety personnel gather for a pre-race briefing

I like to provide general updates on crime and calls for service in our community so here are some stats for how we are looking so far in 2026:

•    Total Property Crimes are down 15% year to date compared to the same time period last year. Some highlights are that we’re down 51% year to date in Motor Vehicle Theft, 12% down in burglary, and 26% down in thefts from motor vehicles.
•    Total Persons Crimes are stable, which means they’re at the same number they were at this time last year, with small increases in simple assaults and robberies.
•    Total Calls For Service year to date are down 4% and our Proactive Contacts (such as traffic stops, pedestrian contacts, etc.) are up 15% year to date. 
•    Tickets for illegal camping as well as prohibited items (like tents, propane, etc.) have nearly doubled so far this year compared to last year. We continue to prioritize having safe and clean public spaces for everyone and work hard along with our Safe and Managed Public Spaces team to make this happen while ensuring city ordinances are enforced.

We encourage everyone to continue to report what they are seeing in the community, letting us know when there are issues we need to address, and letting us know when you see suspicious activity in your neighborhoods or places of work.

Switching gears a little, I’m excited to tell you about a new initiative we are rolling out this week that’s designed to bridge communication gaps, enhance officer and community member safety, and increase department efficiency: our new companion Spanish-language traffic citation and resource form. The idea started within BPD’s Traffic Unit, which identified a significant hurdle during traffic stops: even when roadside interpretation services were used, drivers often left the scene with a physical citation printed exclusively in English. 

Beyond the legal implications for drivers, language barriers have historically strained city resources. On average, a traffic stop involving a language barrier takes three times longer to resolve and often requires the dispatch of additional officers to assist with translation.

That also results in fewer officers available for other calls and slower response times to other calls. By providing citations and resource documents in Spanish, the department expects to see a marked improvement in roadside efficiency, allowing officers to return to patrol more quickly while ensuring the driver fully understands their rights and responsibilities.

To our knowledge, we're the only police agency in the country with such a form.

An example of the new Spanish language traffic citation form.

In the last part of this month’s column, I want to introduce everyone to the third member of the chief’s staff: Deputy Chief Ron Gosage. Ron is the Deputy Chief over Staff and Support Services and has had a long and successful career here at BPD.

For context, our leadership team consists of the chief, two deputy chiefs, a chief of staff, six commanders, a Dispatch manager, a Records manager, a public information officer, a legal advisor, a chief data analyst, a Business Services manager, and the chief’s executive assistant. I've previously written about our Chief of Staff Alastair McNiven and Operations Deputy Chief Barry Hartkopp.

Ron is a Colorado native having been born and raised mostly in Arvada. He stayed local for college attending Regis University, where he graduated with a degree in Criminal Justice. He has been married to his wife for 30 plus years and they have three adult children. 

In his own words, not having a clue what he was going to do in life, Ron says he decided to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a cop. Two weeks into his 22nd year of life, Ron was hired by the Wheat Ridge Police Department and spent 3 ½ years patrolling in Wheat Ridge where he was a Field Training Officer and a member of the SWAT team. In 1992, he made the move to Boulder PD.

Coincidentally, Commander LeFebre (who you’ll learn about in a future newsletter), was hired two months after Ron at Wheat Ridge PD, was also hired by Boulder PD. For those of you who know both of them, now you understand why they act and fight like brothers. They are pictured in the group photo below during a presidential visit.

Young Commander Ron Gosage with his parents.

During security for a presidential visit, then-Officer Gosage (third from the front) poses for a photo with then Officers Burick, Marquez, McNiven, Gallerani and LeFebre.

Like every other new officer, Ron began on Patrol and because he had previous experience, he was selected for Boulder’s SWAT team. He later worked as a detective in the Property Crimes and Family Crimes until 1999 when he was promoted to sergeant and returned to night shift on Patrol. He transferred to the Professional Standards Unit in 2003, and in 2005, Ron was promoted to commander. He also became the SWAT/Bomb Squad Commander. 

Ron feels the best part of police work is being a part of something bigger than yourself. "I am the kind of person that likes to be involved when chaos erupts. I want to contribute rather sit and watch,” he says.

His next position was Support and Staff Services as the Personnel Commander. This assignment is responsible for hiring, promotion, training and management of employee injury/illness. He was later assigned as the 2nd and 3rd shift Patrol commander. He took full advantage of working the evening hours free from meetings by patrolling on bicycle whenever he could. This enabled Ron to wear uniform shorts while on duty, much to the chagrin of then Chief Beckner.

Ron Gosage poses for a photo during SWAT training.

Having served as interim deputy chief for several months, Ron was officially promoted to Deputy Chief in December of 2022 and assigned to Support Services. As DC of Support Services, Ron is responsible for managing Personnel, Special Services, Dispatch, Records, Finance, Property and Evidence, Photo Enforcement, Victim Services, and Accreditation through CALEA. 

Most recently, Ron received a scholarship from the Counter Terrorism Learning Lab to participate in a program titled “Operationalizing Never Again” through the University of Virginia. This program involves the study of law enforcement’s involvement and catastrophic leadership failures during the Holocaust. The program culminated with an on-the-ground experience in Krakow, Poland, to participate in the March of the Living from Auschwitz to Birkenau. 

Ron poses for a photo during his time in Poland for the Counter Terrorism Learning Lab.

Although Ron is in the twilight of his career, he’s hoping to retire in a couple years when he reaches his 40th year in policing. When that time comes, Ron plans on spending his days working out, improving his furniture making skills, and renovating his home—again.  The advice he would give to new officers would be this: 

“I try to ensure our younger officers understand the incredible power they have in people’s lives. What quickly becomes routine for police officers is most likely a first for the person they are engaged with,” he says. “We need to remember that and guard against complacency. I also try to encourage them to have a life outside of police work. Maintain non-police relationships, continue with your hobbies, and take care of your body and your mind.”

I hope you’ve enjoyed learning more about Deputy Chief Gosage. As we head into the busy summer months, remember that we are all here if you need us. You can reach me via email anytime, but I will also share Deputy Chief Gosage’s contact information because he is as committed to our community as I am.  

Please enjoy all that summer has to offer and stay safe out there. 

Steve Redfearn, police chief
 

Two of our officers recently returned from Germany as part of our exchange program with German law enforcement.

Thanks to the support and generosity of the Boulder Police Foundation, we were able to send Officers Colwell and Coffee to learn about policing and culture outside of the United States. This Fall they'll return the favor and host the German officers.

"During my time working with the police department in Germany, I gained a deeper appreciation for the protections provided by the Constitution and the importance of those principles in law enforcement,” Officer Coffee said.

“One of the most valuable aspects of this experience was the opportunity to build professional relationships and recognize the similarities that exist in police work across different countries and cultures. Despite the differences in laws, policies, and resources, the core responsibilities and challenges of policing remain very similar. Overall, this experience gave me a broader perspective on international law enforcement and reinforced my appreciation for the level of training, equipment, and professional development opportunities available to officers in Boulder.”

Officer Colwell agreed, saying, “What surprised me most I think was how relatable the German police and law enforcement was. I was expecting this dramatic difference and culture shock and it was different to a degree but it was also surprisingly similar in a lot of ways.  
“I think what I enjoyed the most was the people. We were really lucky and had an amazing group of people that really went above and beyond to make the trip enjoyable and special right from the start. I really didn’t know what to expect when we first arrived but quickly found a wonderful crew of people who immediately became friends.”

After several months of intense training, we're proud to unveil our second K9 team that will help keep the community safe.

In January, K9 Knox was sworn in and he's spent the past several months getting certified in drug detection, finding missing persons and apprehension. You'll be seeing them on the streets as they now enter the field training portion of their training.

"One of the most important things for the community to understand is that Knox is trained to locate the odor of illegal narcotics as well as human odor. Knox is not used to randomly search people or property without justification. Every deployment will comply with constitutional standards, department policy, and ongoing legal training," his handler Officer Taylor said.

"Knox’s capabilities go far beyond enforcement. His ability to quickly locate suspects, clear buildings, apprehend fleeing individuals, or locate hidden narcotics often helps resolve incidents more safely for officers, community members, and suspects themselves. In many situations, the presence of a trained police dog leads to voluntary surrender and reduces the likelihood of force being used. The level of training, accountability, and continual evaluation involved in K9 work is significant, and maintaining that standard is a major part of our daily responsibility to the Boulder community." 

Boulder Police Department home page: bouldercolorado.gov/government/departments/police